


A Symphony of Lovers

by queenvenus



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, these kids are finally getting their happy endings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:06:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28785402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenvenus/pseuds/queenvenus
Summary: the sequel to 'Beethoven and the Perils of Missed Opportunities.' things are still rocky between alya, adrien and marinette, but circumstances will cause them all to face the music. it's time to stop hiding.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Alya Césaire, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Chloé Bourgeois & Alya Césaire, Luka Couffaine & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 5
Kudos: 22





	A Symphony of Lovers

Alya is having a bad day. 

Lately, it seems like all she’s had were bad days. 

Ever since her falling out with Marinette, things had never been the same. Sure, Marinette had given her the blouse she made (an apology, of sorts, Alya thinks, but not a _real_ apology), but things were still rocky between them. They hadn’t even really _talked_ since. Alya just accepted the shirt and tucked it away in her closet, placing it carefully on a hanger. Then she shut the door, and she didn’t look at it again. 

She just...she couldn’t. Not now, anyway. 

Sans the fact that Alya was now hanging around Chloe and Sabrina, school resumed as normal. Two weeks had passed since Marinette had gifted Alya the blouse, and it was slowly encroaching into a month. The first few days were the hardest, everywhere Alya went had reminded her of Marinette. She missed the times they spent between classes, chatting by the lockers or stopping at the library. Chloe’s stream of chatter and Sabrina’s quiet encouragement began to fill the space Marinette left behind, and walking past her to sit next to them gradually got easier as the days passed. Lunch was still a dismal affair, but Chloe had allowed Alya to sit with her and Sabrina. 

It was uncomfortable at first, Alya and Chloe had never willingly talked to one another before. She remembered all the times Chloe had been hell-bent on humiliating Marinette or some other classmate during lunch and the way they had butt heads each time Alya raced to defend someone. Going from thinly-veiled insults to awkward acquaintances hadn’t been easy, but Chloe took it in stride like she did everything else. In fact, Chloe was actually sort of nice in her own way. 

Whenever she would catch Alya looking despondent over Marinette, Chloe would launch into some shallow topic of conversation and demand her input, as if Alya’s opinions on designer shoes or emerald eyeshadow were suddenly the most important thing in the world. Alya would do her best to give an interested reply, but was mostly met with Chloe’s signature eyeroll. At one point, Alya began to question if hanging around them was even worth it, but the conversations got easier to navigate; and with time, they formed an oddly well-oiled trio. 

Any outsider could see they made for a strange group. Confident, swaggering Chloe, shy and ever-loyal Sabrina right at her heels; and then there was Alya. She didn’t exactly fit in with them, but she was starting to think that was okay. There were advantages to her new circle of friends. Alya was beginning to think that her kindness was rubbing off on Chloe, and Alya found her wardrobe getting a major upgrade (not that she didn’t like her own style of fashion, but Chloe’s hairpins and shoes could make any girl green with envy). 

So school was almost bearable, even if seeing Marinette sitting alone in class made Alya’s chest ache something terrible. She knew Marinette wasn’t completely by herself, she spent a lot of time with Mylene and the others. Rose and Juleka often accompanied her at lunch. Knowing that Marinette wasn’t totally alone soothed the gaping wound in her heart to a sharp sting. The other girls flocked around Marinette and didn’t press for questions. They were able to gather that her and Alya weren’t on great terms yet and left it at that. Alya was relieved that they didn’t pry, she didn’t think she could relay the whole story to any of them without crying or getting angry. 

But they still weren’t talking, and that made it so much harder to get over everything that had happened. Alya was trying her best, but the longer it went on, the more impossible it seemed that she would ever bridge the gap between her and Marinette. The sudden thought of going the rest of the school year without her best friend was like diving headfirst into a frozen pond. 

That thought had plagued Alya for the better part of the third week in the month, and a Wednesday afternoon found her sitting outside with Chloe and Sabrina, the three of them soaking up the warm Paris sunshine. 

“Come shopping with me this Saturday.” Chloe demands, by way of conversation. She’s twirling pasta on her fork and Alya is limply poking at her salad, trying to work up an appetite. Alya shrugged. 

“Okay.” she responded flatly, not really hearing her. Sabrina took a long pull from her milkshake before addressing her. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. Sabrina was a bit more tactful than Chloe was, and it was easier for Alya to confess her feelings without the fear of being judged. Try as she might, Alya could never hold out on Sabrina for long, and she expelled a sigh, dropping her fork. 

“Well, I just...it’s hard, y’know? Eating--” 

“Eating lunch without Marinette.” Chloe interrupted, giving a hard roll of her eyes. “ _We know_ , Alya. That’s all you talk about.” 

“Chloe!” Sabrina scolded softly, moving to put a hand on Alya’s shoulder. “Please...” 

“Ugh, come on, Sabrina. It’s the truth. Frankly, I’m tired of hearing about it. Maybe if you put your focus elsewhere you wouldn’t be such a sad sack.” 

Alya gave her a confused look. “Elsewhere?” she echoed and Chloe gave a sharp nod of her head. 

“Yeah, like Adrien, for instance.” 

Chloe’s expression morphed into one of extreme satisfaction as Alya blinked in surprise. Thrown, Alya picked up her fork again, separating her vegetables to give her something to stare at. “Have you spoken to him at all since?” Chloe pressed, and Alya shook her head. 

“Well, no.” she answered honestly. “I’ve been meaning to but...it’s...awkward.” 

Adrien. Alya’s heart clenched at just the mere mention of his name. 

Ever since her disastrous first date with him and the eventual fallout, Alya had avoided him at all costs. She knew it wasn’t right, but she couldn’t help it. It was too much to deal with both Marinette and Adrien at the same time. She didn’t even know what she would say to him. The fact that he was Chat Noir wasn’t forgotten to her, either. So now she had to deal with her best friend, her best friend’s crush _and_ the fact that her best friend’s crush was a famous superhero sworn to protect all of Paris. 

Frankly, Alya didn’t think she could be blamed for wanting a breather. That was enough drama to last her all of high school. 

The only thing that made her pause, that made her heart even heavier, was the fact that Adrien didn’t pursue her. He didn’t make a move to talk to her, nor did he go out of his way to even acknowledge her. She knew he wasn’t doing it to be mean, Alya knew he was most likely giving them space. She _had_ broken his heart, after all. Perhaps he thought it was easier to just...pretend that nothing happened. Whenever they did manage to lock eyes, it was always met with Adrien giving her a brief flash of a smile, a flimsy and sad one, before he broke it off. 

“Maybe you should.” Chloe takes a bite of pasta. “He’s sulking just as bad as you are, trust me.” 

That did something funny to Alya’s insides. She knew Chloe and Adrien were pretty close. Did Adrien talk to Chloe about her? When? 

“Really?” Alya leaned forward, her earlier despondency forgotten. “What happened?” 

“If you really wanna know, talk to him yourself.” Chloe leans forward and plucks a tomato from her salad. “So, shopping?” 

Alya sighs, Sabrina gives her a hopeful look. “Fine, shopping.” 

Chloe chomps the tomato in victory. 

Saturday came quicker than Alya expected it too. At first, she wants to text Chloe and say she’s can’t make it, but Alya had a feeling Chloe would see right through her excuse and drag her out of the house anyway. Alya usually spent her Saturday’s hanging out with Marinette, and while she would’ve liked to spend the day miserable about that, Alya heaves herself out of bed and gets ready. She had spent way too many Saturday’s sulking about Marinette in her lounge clothes, perhaps shopping would do her some good. 

By the time Alya gets changed, eats breakfast and greets her parents, Chloe has already texted her at least four times. Apparently, there was no need for a meet up spot, because Chloe had a driver that was picking her up. Ten minutes later, a black car pulls up and honks twice. Alya says goodbye to her parents, waves to the twins, and heads out. 

Alya has never been in a car more expensive in her life, except for that time Adrien’s driver took her to the Eiffel Tower. The inside of Chloe’s car still smelled fresh, and Alya had to resist the urge to keep running her hand over the leather seats. Chloe sits in the middle, tapping away at her phone and launching into a discussion about shoes, again. Alya didn’t know how someone could have so much to say about shoes, of all things, but she tries her best to engage. She meets Sabrina’s gaze, and the girl gives her a hapless smile. 

The mall is swelling with the usual Saturday crowds, and Alya tries her best to keep up with Chloe, who navigates her way through the throngs of people like a fish through water. She takes the lead, as usual, and her confident aura practically parts the crowds for her. Alya has never had to walk this fast in her life, and Sabrina suddenly links an arm through hers. 

“I’ve got you.” she says kindly. “Let’s find some cute tops, huh?” 

In the span of one hour, they end up going to over five different stores. Alya was content to just sit back and help Chloe pick out clothes, she just wasn’t in the mood to keep getting undressed in the changing rooms, but Chloe and Sabrina both pushed her to try on something. 

“Here,” Sabrina pushes a blue tank top into Alya’s arm. “try this one on first.” and before Alya could protest, Chloe is pushing her to the changing rooms. Alya tries on five shirts and three pairs of jeans from one store, helpless to Chloe and Sabrina’s whims. She has to admit, letting Chloe pick her outfits wasn’t such a bad thing. Alya didn’t hesitate to admit that she looked pretty good in most of the outfits, and had a small bundle in her arms by the time Sabrina carried her items into the changing rooms. 

Alya sits down on one of the available benches, careful not to wrinkle her shirts too badly. A minute later, Chloe sits beside her, placing down a pair of black high-heeled boots. 

“Try these on.” Chloe tells her, and roots through her basket to look at the headbands she got for herself. Alya sets her clothes aside and slips the boots on. 

“So, you and Marinette still aren’t talking, I guess?” Chloe says, taking out her compact mirror. She examines the headband with a critical eye before closing the compact and taking it off. 

“No,” Alya shakes her head, her spirits already plummeting. “I’m not sure what to say to her.” 

“Hm, well, from what you told me, it seems like Marinette should be the one to talk to you first.” 

Alya knows Chloe is right deep down, but she can’t help but refute that. “I don’t know...I guess?” Alya huffs as she tugs at the stubborn zipper on the boots. “Does it matter who talks first?” 

“Uh, yeah. You couldn’t even have a good first date with Adrien because you were so busy worrying about Marinette and her feelings. Clearly, she couldn’t do the same for you, otherwise you’d be dating him by now, wouldn’t you?” 

Alya sits up, something odd swirling in her chest. “No...that’s not...I mean, yeah, the date didn’t work out. But Marinette is always considerate of my feelings, she was just upset. And that’s understandable, right? I mean...she found out that her best friend had a crush on the love of her life. That can’t be easy.” 

Chloe shrugs carelessly. “Yeah, that sucks, but love goes both ways, y’know.” 

Alya is about to ask Chloe to explain, when Sabrina comes out wearing a new skirt and blouse. “How is it?” Sabrina asks, she shimmies her hips a bit and Alya grins. 

“Wow, that looks really good on you.” she says, and Chloe nods. 

“Yeah, your legs are great.” Chloe whistles, and Sabrina grows shy again, blushing down to the roots of her hair. 

“Thanks.” Sabrina points a painted finger at Alya. “I like your boots.” 

Alya paid for her clothes and the boots, and they proceeded through the second floor of the mall like that. They swapped clothes and tried on ridiculous high-heeled shoes. Chloe had them sample so many perfumes that Alya grew a little dizzy, and Sabrina was able to pick out the best scarves and earrings that brought out Alya’s eyes. They stopped to grab milkshakes, and by the time three hours had passed, Alya was so exhausted she could barely stand. While she liked her new boots and Sabrina insisted she wear them out of the store, it was hard getting used to shoes with a heel. 

In the end, they all ended up wearing completely new outfits out of the store. Alya’s skirt was red plaid, with a ruffled red blouse and earrings to match. Chloe had gifted her a new headband to go along with the look, and Alya looked like a new girl. It was crazy how a new outfit and some makeup made Alya feel completely different. She felt...lighter, confident. And carousing through different shops had taken her mind off Marinette and Adrien. 

It wasn’t until they got back into the car did Alya realize just how much she enjoyed herself. 

Alya ends up back home, weighed down by her numerous bags, and tosses them onto the floor. She can’t be bothered to put her new clothes away yet. She yanks off her boots and flexes her toes, content to just sit down for a moment before putting her things away. She takes the earrings and the headband off, though, setting them on her desk carefully. Alya sits on her bed, exhales a sigh, and flops down onto her pillows. 

She closes her eyes for merely a minute, and nearly jolts a foot in the air when someone knocks on her window. Heart pounding, Alya scrambles off the bed. Another knock sounds at her window, and she walks over, pushing the curtains aside. 

Chat Noir is balancing on his baton, and he gives her a very small smile. 

Alya falters for a moment, stunned. She’s not sure what to do. For a brief moment, she considers pulling the curtains back and pretending that she didn’t see anything, but takes a deep breath instead. Fingers trembling, Alya unlocks the window and stands back as Chat Noir swings smoothly into her room. Alya had seen Chat Noir plenty of times, but seeing him again makes her stomach rock. He was just so cool and cute in all that leather. His eyes were so green, and the way his cat ears twitched had Alya positively red in the face... 

_Stop it!_ Alya mentally scolds herself. _Stop that!_

“H--Hey.” she clears her throat, wincing at the catch in her voice. A tense, awkward air rises up between them all of a sudden. 

“Hey.” Chat Noir responds just as awkwardly. “C-Could we talk? I know it’s short notice...” his voice trails off as his eyes take her in. He blinks, surprised. “Wow, you look really pretty.” 

Alya smothers down the urge to giggle like a schoolgirl. “Uh, thanks. I went shopping with Chloe and Sabrina.” Alya clears her throat again. “But yeah, we can talk.” she gestures stiffly to her bed, and they both sit down next to each other. Chat Noir sighs, and he looks like he’s gearing up to speak. Alya wrings her fingers together, suddenly nervous. 

“I know we haven’t spoken in a while.” Chat Noir says, and Alya nods. Guilt and sorrow are practically smothering her. “Things have been a little...weird between us, lately.” 

“Yeah.” Alya agrees, and finds that she can’t say anything else. 

“I’m not avoiding you on purpose. I guess I just needed some time to figure things out.” there was a brief silence, and Alya can see Chat Noir shift on her bed. He suddenly reaches out and takes her hands, and Alya gasps. “I...I like you, Alya. A lot. I tried to accept the fact that we may never happen, but I just couldn’t. I...” there’s something laden in Chat Noir’s voice, something deep and raw and raspy that has a heat unfurling in Alya’s stomach. “I want you, Alya. I do.” 

Alya’s eyes are burning. Something hot has lodged its way into her throat, and suddenly her vision is swimming. Nobody has ever spoken to her like that, so full of want and adoration. 

“Chat Noir—Adrien, I...” Alya tries to steady herself. “That’s really sweet of you, and it means a lot. But...but things are still rocky between me and Marinette, and I can’t afford to make things worse between us by going out with you.” the words are pushed out and heavy on her tongue, it takes a monumental effort to keep her voice from wobbling and completely giving out on her. “I wish I could make this work; I really do. But I don’t know how.” the first pinpricks of anger spark inside of Alya. She shouldn’t feel guilty about any of this, she shouldn’t reject what she wanted simply because of what Marinette would think. 

But she is and she’s angry. Angry at Marinette and at herself. She feels weak, spineless, frightened. Marinette was her other half, her closest confidant. No matter what, Alya couldn’t betray her. She couldn’t hurt her. 

_“Love goes both ways, y’know.”_

Chat Noir turns to her fully, and places his head on her shoulder. Alya leaves her body open, and doesn’t resist when he wraps his arms around her waist. His hands trail up her sides in a soothing up and down motion. It leaves her hungry and dizzy and light-headed. 

“I hope someone’ll love me the way you love her.” Chat Noir whispers, voice brittle. 

“I’m really sorry.” Alya chokes out, and the tears finally push forth, unbidden. 

“It’s okay.” It isn’t. “Will you at least take this, instead?” 

He pulls away, and reaches to take something from his belt. Alya has no idea how she didn’t notice it before, and Chat Noir slips the rose into her hair. “It matches your outfit.” he remarks, giving her a flimsy smile. “I’ll see you later.” 

He gets up, and her body feels cold without him. Alya wants to rush over and stop him. She wants to tell him that she wants him too. She wants to hold him close and push her fingers into the curls of his hair. Instead, she watches him leave, slinking from her room as silent as a dream. 

It takes an hour before Alya stops crying. 

Marinette is walking to the park. 

She tucks her cell phone deeper into the recesses of her hoodie, striding with purpose. She’s a girl on a mission, and she tries desperately to untangle the knots in her heart as she walks. Marinette knows she hasn’t been a good friend. In fact, she’s been a pretty crappy friend, and she intends to resolve that. Throughout the lonely days in school and the even lonelier days outside of them, Marinette has had plenty of time to think. She doesn’t blame Alya for not sitting with her, but she feels a little awkward about the fact that there hasn’t been any remark about the blouse. 

Alya hasn’t even worn it, and at first, Marinette couldn’t help but feel insulted. She had been trying to extend the olive branch of friendship, but she figured it was going to take a lot more than a handmade blouse to fix this mess. The days in school without Alya by her side were unbearable, and while Juleka and the others were great company, it didn’t compare to having her best friend joined at her hip. 

Marinette longed to reach out to Alya, to take her aside and spill her feelings out. But every time she tried to work up the nerve, her courage would always fail her. Marinette was invincible when Alya was by her side, and that sudden realization had put everything into perspective. 

Marinette loved Adrien. Adrien didn’t love her back. Okay, that hurt. It stung. It was tearing her apart. But she’s had time to cry and sulk and regress. It was time to be mature. 

It was time to fix things. 

Marinette only has to wait five minutes at the park before she sees Adrien walking up to her. There’s a definitive slump in his shoulders, and seeing him look so miserable had made her chest hurt. A part of Marinette knows that she probably contributed to that expression on his face, and makes her want to cry. She never wanted him to look like that. He deserved all the happiness this world had to offer. 

“Hey.” Adrien greets her, giving her a sincere smile. Marinette can feel herself melt at that smile, and it wasn’t hard to muster up a smile of her own. 

“Hi,” she says. “thanks for coming to see me on such short notice.” 

Adrien shakes his head. “No, it’s fine. I wasn’t busy.” 

Silence lapses between them. Marinette shifts her sneakers into the dirt. She’s stalling, if she waits any longer, she’ll never get this out. “I wanted to talk to you.” she begins. “Uh, I just... I wanted to apologize.” 

“Apologize? What for?” 

“Well, for everything, I guess?” Marinette shrugs and sighs. “I haven’t been a very good friend, not to you or Alya. I know we already sort of had this conversation but...” 

Here goes nothing. Marinette sucks in a breath. 

“But I love you.” she continues, voice clear and steady. She stares Adrien right in the face and her gaze doesn’t waver for a moment. “I’ve loved you since the rain, and every single moment after. Before, I used to think that there was no other boy in this world for me except for you, and a part of me still feels that way. I don’t know if that’ll change or not. But...but the reality is that you don’t love me back. You like Alya, and Alya likes you, too.” Marinette’s voice grows tight, but she presses on anyway. “I wanted to deny it, I thought that if I just tried hard enough, if I just kept on going, you’d see how much I loved you. It’s so silly, right? I mean, I never even confessed to you until a couple of weeks ago!” Marinette laughed, and it sounded eerily close to a sob. 

“I think I was just being naïve. But I’ve had a lot of time to think, and I wanted to say I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you and Alya apart like this. I was being really selfish so...” Marinette clears her throat. “So, I’m letting you go.” 

Adrien’s face is myriad of expressions. He looks flattered and sorrowful, his green eyes glistening with some unspoken emotion. Marinette can feel her eyes burning, and she smiles through it. 

“Are you sure?” Adrien breathes. “I don’t want to hurt either of you...but...I just...I don’t--” 

Marinette places a finger to his lips, silencing him gently. “I’m positive.” her voice cracks. “I hate it, but I’m positive.” Marinette lets her finger slip away from his mouth, and Adrien exhales a shaky sigh. He reaches out for a hug, and Marinette steps into it with ease. She can smell the mint in his hair, and the faded cotton of his shirt. She’s never been this close to him before and it’s ironic, really, how she could only get this close to the boy she loves when she’s getting her heart broken. 

They stay like that for a while, hearts beating in tandem, before Marinette slowly pulls away. There are unshed tears sparkling in her eyes, but she feels more grounded than she has this past month. “You take care, okay?” she says, her voice soft. “I’ll see you in school on Monday.” 

Adrien still looks choked up and thrown off kilter, all he can manage is a nod. He feels like he’s drowning, in a strange sort of way. Love was...so much, so heavy. He wasn’t sure if he could hold something that strong without breaking into pieces. 

Marinette gives one last nod and turns on her heel. She walks away from the park, away from Adrien. She lets the tears fall and only wipes them away once she’s standing safely in front of the bakery. 

“Are you okay, Marinette?” Tiki’s sweet voice filters from the purse at her hip, the clasp open slightly. 

Marinette gives her a watery smile. “I’m getting there, Tikki. I’m getting there.” 

**Author's Note:**

> i'm sorry!! i know i promised you guys this fic would be uploaded on friday, but i was out all day today and didn't get a chance to properly work on this fic until tonight. it's been a rough day, being physically disabled and dealing with chronic pain is...not fun, so i'll be spending most of tomorrow in bed. but the first chapter is up, and i'm pretty happy with it! just a note, this fic will be a short one, i'm thinking maybe four chapters?? after all the drama that was BATPOMO, i kind of wanted to make a lighter, happier fic. we're dealing with emotions and healing in this story, you guys. 
> 
> enjoy!


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